Stig Östlund

måndag, juli 26, 2010

Dreamy, Young Stars

The Orion Nebula is a 'happening' place where stars are born and this colony of hot, young stars is stirring up the cosmic scene in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The young stars dip and peak in brightness; shifting cold and hot spots on the stars' surfaces cause brightness levels to change. In addition, surrounding disks of lumpy planet-forming material can obstruct starlight. Spitzer is keeping tabs on the young stars, providing data on their changing ways.
The hottest stars in the region are the Trapezium cluster

This image was taken after Spitzer's liquid coolant ran dry in May 2009, marking the beginning of its "warm" mission.

Wikipedia (svenska) informativt om Spitzerteleskopet:

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